Training

One of the joys and challenges of our work in Belgium and the Netherlands is working with young people and those wanting to learn more. The body of Christ is just that - a body. The church is made up of all sorts of people and God can use us all in many ways. Buut we learn from each other how we can be used to help others. That is part of what we are doing, helping to train and mentor others to become leaders and helpers. 

This past weekend we offered a day of training for those wanting to work with the Bible camp. It was Inspiration for Aspiring leaders, so we called it “Breathe”, knowing that it is the Holy Spirit who prepares us and forms us in our tasks. Last year we held this day at the church building in Antwerpen because that was more central, easier for people to reach. But we have wanted to hold it at camp itself so that the prospective leaders can see in person what they are working with. So this year we met down at camp. We are thankful to be able to do this with good colleagues (Luk Brazle). 

It was great to see the willingness of these few young people to learn and be aware of the responsibility of leading a team for a week of Bible camp. This is a time of reaching young hearts with the truths from God’s word and putting those into practice every day for a week before they return home. It is a time when many young people from the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands see friends from around the country or make new friends. This is all facilitated by good camp leaders. 

We are also helping to mentor some of our couples and singles in Maastricht. We meet on Mondays to study and talk about situations in leadership. On Wednesday afternoons we have a Bible study in English for some of our young people where they can ask questions and get honest answers. It is exciting to see how the members of the congregation are maturing in Christ and stepping up to new challenges in their daily Christian life. 

In April we will also be taking part in a First Aid course for those who work down at the Bible Camp. This is another aspect of learning and teaching. The Red Cross will offer the course and we are thankful for the various people who will attend, including several from the church in Maastricht. We are learning how to use the spiritual muscles God has given us and feeling the challenge of using those abilities and trusting in God’s strength and leading. 

(Here are some more pictures of the training day at camp.)

Where oh where Wednesday: Afsluitdijk

The ideas were there from the 17th century. What if the Zuiderzee was laid dry (partially) in order to win land? This was not a strange thought for the Dutch who had already won quite a bit of their land fro the sea. Amsterdam is partially built on land taken from the sea. The airport everyone uses to access THE NETHERLANDS is Schiphol, which literally means the hollow for the ships. But what would it take to dry out the Zuiderzee? 

Concrete plans started to be made at the end of the 19th century. Engineer Cornelis Lely especially had ideas for making it all possible. In 1913 he was the minister of water works and he suggested and had plans to make a polder of the sea, winning valuable land that was needed for the country to expand. But his plans weren’t heard until the First World War and after flooding in 1916 and a famine in 1918. 

The work began on shutting off the sea, protecting the land that was already there and making it possible to create new polders. The works began in 1920 and were finally finished in 1932. A dike, with a road atop it, had been built to stop the sea. Even today, this is the only road in The Netherlands where the speed limit is officially 130 kilometers per hour. 

In the past 90 some years that the dike was built, the polders have emerged. Lelystad (named after the engineer) is the main city rising from the polder. The sea has turned into the IJsselmeer. Tourists can drive across the dike from one tip of North Holland to Friesland on the other side. During the 2nd World War, the battle for this dike was the only defeat that the Germans saw in regard to the Dutch (when they bombed Rotterdam, the Dutch capitulated). 

The dike is 32 kilometers long and 90 meters wide. There have been regular times of maintenance and most recently the dike has had to be strengthened. In 2006 a Formula 1 driver (Robert Doornbos) reached 326 km per hour on a section of the dike which was closed off temporarily for this purpose. We have only ever crossed it by train. 

Taxes

Nobody wants to pay them, but they are a part of everyday life. Jesus told Peter that it was normal to pay and the Bible makes clear that we should pay our taxes. But what do you do when things get a bit complicated? We have lived for the last 30 plus years in Belgium, working in the Netherlands and receiving a good bit of our support from the United States. So which taxes do we pay? All of them. 

We have always paid income tax and social security I the US. We also pay social security in Belgium. But it has been a real blessing all these years to have brothers and sisters who have helped us with our taxes in the US. E.B. Dotson did our taxes (and others) as a service for missions (now the office of Larry McElroy). And what a service this is. It is amazing to have these worries taken from your shoulders, not having to worry about figuring out how things work - because it is confusing. 

You see, we live in Belgium, but receive a part of our funds from the US. Anyone who has lived outside of the US knows about the various forms that have to be filled in (FATCA, FBAR and such). Knowing that your taxes are in good hands, of brothers and sisters who are putting their talents to this service, is extremely comforting. So we are very thankful. 

This is especially important now. This past year the Belgian tax office decided that things have not been as they think it should be. They are only allowed to go back 5 years, so they went back to 2022 and looked at our taxes in Belgium. Their conclusion is that we should have been paying income tax in Belgium, not in the US. This influences how much social security we pay in Belgium as well. 

So now we are looking at back taxes in Belgium, back payments for social security, and continuing to try to figure out our social security status in the US. This can be worrisome or frustrating, but in the end we know that things will work out. Our God knows what we can handle and knows what is going on. That doesn’t mean that it will not happen. It means that He will give us strength to deal with it. 

Thankfully we do not have to worry about anything more than VAT (Value Added Tax) in the Netherlands. And we all have to deal with that in some sense. And as oil prices (gasoline, diesel - which is what we use in our car, gas for our heating) rise exorbitantly, we know that although this may be difficult, we will be able to deal with it somehow. God trusts us to be able to handle what he allows in our lives - with His strength. 

Whensday: 1902 - Korfbal

March in the USA brings March Madness - colleges vying for a title in the team sport of basketball. Basketball was invented in 1891 by gym teacher James Naismith. About 10 years later a gym teacher in Amsterdam invented “korfbal” which translated is “basket ball”. This game was based on the Swedish game for women, but Nico Broekhuysen made it a team sport for both sexes. 

Korfbal, as a matter of fact, is one of the only team sports for both men and women together. Like basketball it can be played outside or inside and there is an outside season and inside season. And like basketball, the goal is to put as many points on the scoreboard by putting the ball through the basket (“korf”). 

In korfbal, the basket is on a tall pole (3.5 meters or about 11.5 feet) and has no backboard. The players, both men and women are on the field at the same time, may not walk with the ball. They also may not dribble. The player can take one step and must then pass the ball. This creates a game with a high level of team interaction and low contact. 

The International Korfball Federation was created in 1933 and there are currently 72 national federations. The sport was a demonstration sport at the Olympics of 1920 and 1928. It is not part of the Olympics, but is part of the World Games. Since it is mostly played in Belgium and especially The Netherlands, the World and European champion has always been The Netherlands (although Belgium was world champion in 1991). 

Whatsit Wednesday: Dutch door

I remember learning about Dutch doors when I was younger because we visited somewhere (I don’t remember where) that had them, probably a farm. This would have been in the US. So why are they called “Dutch Doors”? Well, actually the Brits might call it a stable door and the Irish might call it a half door. But it was the Dutch who brought it into normal cultural use, through painting and their general use of the door in their housing. 

In paintings fro the 17th century you can find plenty of examples of Dutch doors. It was also in this period that Dutch in the areas that would become New York and New Jersey were incorporating the doors in their homes. The purpose was to keep livestock out of the house and children inside while allowing light and air to circulate freely. 

One can easily imagine working in the house, not having to worry about the small children escaping or the animals bringing their dirty feet into the house, while still being able to see and be part of the outside or chat with a passing neighbor. As a matter of fact, this type of door was later also incorporated for a time on railways to facilitate employees carrying out tasks or visual inspections. 

Even into modern times, the doors could be useful in nursing homes (line of sight is maintained while the patients cannot wander aimlessly), childcare facilities (although safety concerns finally restricted this use) or barns and stables, where they were originally used. The romance of the past often makes people wonder about installing or using such a door. The practical limitations usually come to mind in later stages. But Dutch doors are still used in many places. 

Have you ever seen a Dutch door? Would you want one in your house? 

Sisters

This past weekend some of our sisters in the church were off to the Ladies Retreat. This is a retreat organized in Germany. Each year his organized by a different group - sometimes the Swiss ladies, the ladies from Germany or England, or the Belgian and Dutch ladies. It is four days (Thursday to Sunday) to get to know sisters from around Europe, hear lessons in English and sing together. 

We were thankful that several from our church family could go. One of our sisters who moved away a few years ago (first to France and now back to Belgium, but a few hours away, following her husband’s work) was able to attend for the first time. It is always exciting to see how getting together with fellow believers can be so encouraging and to see how God can use you in such times. 

Last year our young Ukrainian sister went to the retreat and ended up translating for many of the other Ukrainians who attended. This year our sister who moved away was able to get together with new sisters and friends from South America. She herself is from Brazil. So even though she speaks Portugese, she understands and can speak Spanish as well. 

The car that left with the group p from Maastricht included Shirley and three other sisters. While they were gone some of the brothers (husbands and brothers in Christ) got together to spend some time together on the Saturday. Cooking for one another and spending time together is always good. I ended up planning some work in the house while Shirley was gone. Our new brother, Jef, was able to help start om putting a ceiling in our pantry. It is a lot easier to get things done when you can make a mess while your wife is gone. 

Sunday morning was a bit different without the ladies. We have several ladies in the congregation who are strong singers. But even four being gone was definitely noticeable. We are thankful for the time that the ladies were able to spend together and how God uses each one to encourage others. But we are also thankful that they made it home safely.

(Top photo is of the full group. Bottom photo are "our" ladies.)

Whodunit Wednesday: Fred van der Weij

When we first moved to Belgium there were a few things we had to get used to. One of those was not only the food, but how food was prepared. We both love fries, so that was not really a problem. And since fries are the best in Belgium, it was definitely not a problem. But fries are meant to be deep-fat fried. And not only fries. Lots of other foods are fried. Hamburgers are not known in Belgium without a breading and being fi=ried (unless you get them from one of the well-known American fastfood chains). 

In order to do all of this, every house has/had a deep fat fryer. And all of the recycling parks have a place to reclaim your used frying oil. After all, a good diesel engined car (of which Belgium has plenty) can even run on “frietolie” - fry oil. So one of the first things we needed to purchase was a fryer. 

However, we do not eat that much fried food. That meant that the frying oil often sat for quite some time and needed refreshing before we made fries again. So when Fred van der Weij came out with his invention, we were pretty happy. It was also around this time that we were becoming much more health conscious, worried about the kilo’s (or pounds) we might be putting on. 

Fred van der Weij was a Dutch engineer, born around the same time as we, but in the Netherlands. He invented a small oven in 2006 and later sold it to Philips in 2010. The air fryer is not quite a convection oven, although both use heated air to cook. The air fryer does this quicker and in smaller amounts. 

These days almost every house has an air fryer - although many may also still have a deep fat fryer as well. Not many people will know the name Fred van der Weij (who passed away in 2022), but most will be thankful for his ingenious invention for cooking well known meals in a more healthy way. 

Family (travel plans)

Every three years we make a trip back to the US to visit supporting congregations and family in a two-month long journey around the country. This is our “Home Assignment”. Our plans for this Home Assignment 2026, which will cover May and June, are solidified and partially paid. 

We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as we can. If you are in the area of where we will be, please let us know before hand so that we might be able to get together. This will be quite the trip, as usual, so we will not have a lot of wiggle room, but we always want to meet with as many as we can. 

In short, our schedule looks like this: Leave Belgium on April 28, arriving in Texas.Texas (churches) from April 28 - May 4

FLY May 5 to Indianapolis

    Indiana (family and church) from May 5-12

FLY May 13 to Los Angeles

    California (church and family) from May 13-24

FLY May 25 to Minneapolis

    Minnesota (church) from May 25 - June 1

DRIVE LOOP:

DRIVE June 2 to Sioux City, IA

DRIVE June 3 to Spearfish, SD

DRIVE June 5 to Billings, MT

    Montana (family) from June 5-8

DRIVE June 9 to Colorado Springs

    Colorado Springs (family) from June 9-11

DRIVE June 12 to Denver

    Denver (church and family) from June 12-14

DRIVE June 15 to Omaha, NE

    Omaha area (family) from June 15-17

DRIVE June 18 to Muscatine, IA

    Muscatine (church) from June 18-22

DRIVE June 23 to Minneapolis

FLY June 24 to New York City

New York City (family) from June 25-29

FLY June 30 to Brussels, arriving on July 1

(You can see this all visually on the map above)

It is always a challenge to fit the puzzle pieces of family and church together, making sure that we leave Sundays for meeting with church members and connecting in that meaningful way. We also want to meet all of our family members, including our granddaughter in Indiana. 

This is not possible without the help of so many people. Some people will be lending us their car for the time we are in their area. Others will be putting us up and feeding us in their home, sharing their families with us during our stay. Many have given sacrificially so that we can make this trip. Thank you all so much! We look forward to seeing you.